Dyad

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Dyad.sh Review - Complete Directory Informations

Basic Information

Tool Name: Dyad.sh

Category: AI App Development, No-Code/Low-Code, Local Development

Type: Desktop Software

Official Website: https://dyad.sh/

Developer/Company: Dyad.sh (developed by William Callahan)

Launch Date: Information not available, but the project has been actively updated.

Last Updated: The project's GitHub shows activity within the last 36 minutes as of the latest search, with the roadmap last updated July 2, 2025.

Quick Overview

One-line Description: A free, local, and open-source AI app builder for privacy-focused development.

What it does: Dyad is a desktop application that empowers users to create custom AI-powered applications without writing code. It runs entirely on your local machine, ensuring data privacy, fast performance, and full control over your development environment and source code.

Best for: Developers, makers, and businesses who prioritize data privacy, local control, and a fast, frictionless development workflow for building AI applications. It's ideal for those looking for an open-source alternative to cloud-based AI builders.

Key Features

Local & Open-Source: Dyad runs directly on your machine, giving you complete control over your code and data. It's open-source, promoting transparency and community-driven development.
No-Code AI App Building: Create powerful custom applications with AI capabilities without needing to write any code.
Supports Local AI Models: Easily integrate and run AI models locally using tools like Ollama, ensuring full data privacy and leveraging your machine's processing power.
Fast, Fluid User Experience: Because it runs locally, Dyad offers instant, responsive interactions, allowing for immediate previews of changes and real-time feedback during development.
Frictionless Local Development: Eliminates the common challenges of syncing local development environments with cloud-based AI builders, providing full control over testing and building locally.
Bring Your Own API Key: Allows users to connect any major AI model using their own API keys, preventing vendor lock-in.
Community-Driven Alternatives: Positioned as an alternative to other AI app builders like Lovable, v0, and Bolt, fostering a community of builders.

Pricing Structure

Free Plan:

Local, open-source AI App Builder
Downloadable for macOS & Windows
No sign-up required
Bring your own API key
Community support
Usage limits: Limited to core functionalities; does not include exclusive AI Pro modes or a set amount of AI credits provided by Dyad.
Number of users/projects allowed: Unlimited personal use.

Paid Plans:

Dyad Pro: $9.99/month - Includes exclusive AI Pro modes, 300 AI credits/month, direct support & influence product roadmap, and full Dyad Academy access.
Dyad Business: $24.99/month - Everything in Dyad Pro plus 900 AI credits/month (3x more, 12% savings compared to Pro), and the ability to reload credits at any time at the same price.
Enterprise: Information not publicly available - contact for quote.

Free Trial: The core product is free and open-source, so there isn't a traditional "free trial" for the paid features; users can simply use the free version indefinitely.

Money-back Guarantee: Not explicitly stated on the official website. The cancellation policy is available under "Policies" in the help section.

Pricing Plans Explained

Dyad Free

What you get: This is the core Dyad application, free to download and use on your macOS or Windows computer. You can build AI applications locally, connect to any major AI model using your own API keys (meaning you pay for AI model usage directly to the AI provider), and benefit from the community for support.

Perfect for: Individuals and small teams looking to experiment with AI app building, those who prioritize privacy and local control, or users who want to avoid vendor lock-in and manage their own AI API costs.

Limitations: You won't have access to the exclusive "AI Pro modes" which likely enhance AI interaction, nor will you receive a bundle of "AI credits" from Dyad for AI model usage. Support is primarily community-driven.

Technical terms explained: "AI credits" refer to a pre-paid amount of usage for AI models provided by Dyad, which can be used for features within the application that require AI processing. Bringing your own "API key" means you are responsible for obtaining and paying for access to AI models (like OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) directly from their providers.

Dyad Pro - $9.99/month

What you get: This plan unlocks "exclusive AI Pro modes" that likely offer more advanced AI-driven features within Dyad. You also receive 300 "AI credits" per month bundled with the subscription, access to the full "Dyad Academy" for learning, and "direct support" which implies faster and more personalized assistance, along with the ability to "influence the product roadmap."

Perfect for: Dedicated individual developers and small teams who want to leverage enhanced AI capabilities within Dyad, appreciate prioritized support, and want to contribute to the tool's future direction.

Key upgrades from free: The main improvements are the exclusive Pro AI features, the included monthly AI credits (reducing the need to manage external API keys for a certain usage volume), and direct access to support and educational resources.

Technical terms explained: "Exclusive AI Pro modes" are advanced features or workflows within Dyad that are powered by AI, likely offering more sophisticated app building assistance or optimization. "Direct support & influence product roadmap" means you get dedicated help from the Dyad team and a say in what features are developed next. "Dyad Academy" is an educational platform with tutorials and guides to help users master the tool.

Dyad Business - $24.99/month

What you get: This plan includes all the features of Dyad Pro but significantly increases your monthly AI credits to 900 (offering a 12% saving compared to purchasing three Pro plans). You can also reload these credits at any time at the same per-credit price.

Perfect for: Small to medium-sized businesses or teams with higher AI usage requirements who still value local development, privacy, and direct support.

Key upgrades: The primary upgrade is the substantial increase in included AI credits, making it more cost-effective for higher usage scenarios. The ability to reload credits at the same price offers flexibility.

Technical terms explained: "900 AI credits/month" provides a larger allowance for using AI models through Dyad's bundled system, ideal for more intensive development or testing. "Reload credits at any time" means you aren't stuck waiting for the next billing cycle if you deplete your credits; you can top them up as needed.

Pros & Cons

The Good Stuff (Pros)	The Not-So-Good Stuff (Cons)
✅ Local & Private: Runs on your machine, ensuring data privacy and control.	❌ Pricing perception: Some users find the Pro plan's AI credit pricing to be high compared to alternatives.
✅ Open-Source: Promotes transparency, community contributions, and no vendor lock-in.	❌ Limited official support in free tier: Relies on community support for free users.
✅ No-Code Approach: Accessible for users without programming knowledge to build AI apps.	❌ Reliance on local resources: Performance depends on the user's local machine capabilities, especially for running local AI models.
✅ Fast & Fluid UX: Local execution offers responsive interactions and real-time feedback.	❌ No money-back guarantee: Not explicitly stated, which might be a concern for some users.
✅ Supports Local AI Models: Integration with Ollama allows for truly private AI processing.
✅ Bring Your Own API Key: Flexibility to use any major AI model and manage your own costs.
✅ Cross-Platform: Available for macOS and Windows, with beta support for Linux.

Use Cases & Examples

Primary Use Cases:

Rapid Prototyping of AI Applications: Quickly build and test AI-powered interfaces or tools without the overhead of cloud deployment, ideal for validating ideas before significant investment.
Developing Privacy-Focused Tools: Create applications that handle sensitive data entirely on the user's machine, ensuring no data leaves a controlled environment. This is crucial for internal company tools or highly regulated industries.
Personal AI Assistants or Automation: Build custom AI agents or automated workflows tailored to individual needs, such as a local content summarizer, a code snippet generator, or a personalized research assistant, all running privately.

Real-world Examples:

A small business owner could use Dyad to build a custom internal tool that uses a local AI model to categorize customer feedback from text files, keeping all sensitive information on their private network.
A content creator might develop a personal AI writing assistant that helps brainstorm ideas or rephrase sentences for their articles, ensuring their creative process and data remain confidential.
A developer could prototype an AI-powered code refactoring tool, testing its capabilities directly on their codebase without uploading it to external servers.

Technical Specifications

Supported Platforms: macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel), Windows, Linux (beta support).

Browser Compatibility: As a desktop application, browser compatibility is not a primary concern for the core tool. However, any web-based components or preview functionalities would typically be compatible with modern browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.

System Requirements: Not explicitly detailed on the website, but running local AI models with Ollama suggests that a powerful machine would enhance performance.

Integration Options: Supports integration with any major AI model using API keys. Supabase support is also available.

Data Export: Information not available on specific data export formats from the Dyad application itself.

Security Features: Focuses on privacy by running locally on the user's machine. Users control their source code and data. Reporting bugs can include system info and recent logs, with user review before submission to ensure nothing sensitive is shared.

User Experience

Ease of Use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 out of 5) - Dyad aims for a frictionless local development experience with a fast, fluid user interface, making it accessible for building AI apps without coding. The "4.9/5 reviews" mentioned on their homepage suggests a positive user experience.

Learning Curve: Beginner-friendly. The no-code approach and community resources, along with a quickstart guide and Dyad Academy (for paid plans), suggest a relatively low learning curve for new users.

Interface Design: Appears to be clean and modern, designed for responsive interactions and real-time feedback.

Mobile Experience: Dyad itself is a desktop application. However, it can be used to "Create mobile app with Capacitor" (shipped in v0.10.0), indicating that the apps built with Dyad can be mobile-compatible.

Customer Support: Free users rely on community support (Reddit). Paid plans offer direct support and influence on the product roadmap. Documentation and a help guide are available on the website.

Alternatives & Competitors

Direct Competitors:

Lovable: Another AI app builder, which Dyad is positioned as an open-source alternative to.
v0: Similar to Lovable, a tool for building apps with AI, with Dyad offering a local and open-source approach.
Bolt: An alternative for AI app development, where Dyad provides a local, self-controlled option.
Windsurf Editor: Listed as a free alternative to Dyad.sh on AlternativeTo.
Void, Cursor, Mellum, Claude Code: Other apps in the development category mentioned as alternatives.
Firebase Studio: A popular web-based alternative, but it is freemium and proprietary, unlike Dyad.
Copilot Spark and Trae Solo: Mentioned by Reddit users as alternatives with different pricing models.

When to choose this tool over alternatives: Dyad is the ideal choice if you prioritize privacy, full control over your data and source code, and a completely local development environment. It's particularly strong for users who want to run AI models on their own machines with tools like Ollama, avoiding cloud-based vendor lock-in and potential data transfer issues. If you prefer a community-driven, open-source approach and desire fast, responsive local workflows for building AI applications, Dyad stands out.

Getting Started

Setup Time: Can be set up in minutes. The website features a quickstart guide.

Onboarding Process: Self-guided, with a quickstart guide, documentation, and (for paid plans) access to Dyad Academy.

Quick Start Steps:

Download Dyad: Visit the official website (dyad.sh) and download the application for your operating system (macOS or Windows). No sign-up is required to get started with the free version.
Install & Launch: Follow the installation instructions for your system and launch the Dyad application.
Explore the Interface: Familiarize yourself with the local development environment.
Build Your First App: Utilize the quickstart guide and built-in features to begin constructing your first AI-powered application. You can choose to integrate with local AI models via Ollama or bring your own API keys for cloud-based models.

User Reviews & Ratings

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.9 out of 5 stars) based on unquantified reviews mentioned on their homepage. The GitHub repository has 14.6k stars.

Popular Review Sites:

GitHub: 14.6k stars
AlternativeTo: Last updated July 11, 2025
Reddit (r/dyadbuilders): Community discussions and feedback.

Common Praise:

Privacy and local control over data and code.
Open-source nature and community-driven development.
Fast and fluid user experience due to local execution.
Ability to use local AI models (e.g., with Ollama).

Common Complaints:

Concerns about the pricing of the Pro plan's AI credits compared to other market alternatives.
Potential for high system resource usage when running local AI models.

Updates & Roadmap

Update Frequency: The GitHub repository shows active development with recent commits. The roadmap was last updated July 2, 2025.

Recent Major Updates:

Experimental Docker support and new community templates (v0.19.0 Beta 1).
Undo-able database (v0.16.0 Beta 1).
Support for other tech stacks besides React (anyone can now add a template!).
Auto-fix errors (v0.11.0).
Create mobile app with Capacitor (v0.10.0).

Upcoming Features:

Short-term: MCP support, graduating Portal template from experimental, creating a hub/marketplace to share prompts, templates, and plugins.
Medium-term: Planning support, support importing from Figma.

Support & Resources

Documentation: Comprehensive documentation is available on the official website.

Video Tutorials: A 2-minute video on how to get help is linked, and the Dyad Academy offers additional learning resources for paid users.

Community: Active presence on Reddit at r/dyadbuilders for feedback, feature requests, and tips.

Training Materials: Dyad Academy is available for paid plan subscribers.

API Documentation: The ability to bring your own API key implies external API documentation from the respective AI model providers, though Dyad likely provides guidance on integration.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General Questions

Q: Is Dyad.sh free to use? A: Yes, the core Dyad application is free, local, and open-source. There are also paid "Pro" and "Business" plans that offer additional features and bundled AI credits.

Q: How long does it take to set up Dyad.sh? A: Setup is designed to be quick and easy, taking only minutes to get started with the quickstart guide.

Q: Can I cancel my subscription anytime? A: Dyad offers flexible plans with no lock-in, allowing you to upgrade or downgrade whenever you want. Cancellation policies are available in the help section.

Pricing & Plans

Q: What's the difference between Dyad Free and Dyad Pro? A: Dyad Free is the basic, open-source application. Dyad Pro adds exclusive AI Pro modes, 300 monthly AI credits, direct support, and full access to Dyad Academy.

Q: Are there any hidden fees or setup costs? A: The free version has no sign-up or explicit setup costs. For paid plans, the monthly fee covers the included features and AI credits. However, if you use your own API keys with the free version, you are responsible for any costs incurred with your chosen AI model provider.

Q: Do you offer discounts for students/nonprofits/annual payments? A: Information on specific discounts for students, nonprofits, or annual payments is not publicly available on the website.

Features & Functionality

Q: Can Dyad.sh integrate with other tools/platforms? A: Dyad supports integration with any major AI model using your own API keys. It also offers Supabase integration and allows for the creation of mobile apps with Capacitor.

Q: What file formats does Dyad.sh support? A: Specific supported file formats for import/export are not explicitly detailed, but it supports importing existing projects and various tech stacks through templates.

Q: Is my data secure with Dyad.sh? A: Yes, Dyad emphasizes privacy and security by running entirely on your local machine, giving you full control over your source code and data. Data never leaves your computer unless you explicitly choose to upload a chat session for bug reporting, which allows for review before submission.

Technical Questions

Q: What devices/browsers work with Dyad.sh? A: Dyad.sh is a desktop application compatible with macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows. There is also beta support for Linux. Browser compatibility is not a primary concern for the core application.

Q: Do I need to download anything to use Dyad.sh? A: Yes, Dyad.sh is a downloadable desktop application that runs locally on your machine.

Q: What if I need help getting started? A: Dyad offers a quickstart guide, comprehensive documentation, and a community on Reddit (r/dyadbuilders). Paid users also have access to direct support and Dyad Academy.

Final Verdict

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Recommended for:

Developers and makers prioritizing privacy and local control in AI app development.
Users seeking a free and open-source alternative to cloud-based AI builders.
Individuals or teams who want a fast, fluid, and frictionless local development workflow.
Anyone interested in running AI models locally (e.g., with Ollama) for enhanced data security.

Not recommended for:

Users who prefer entirely cloud-based, zero-setup solutions without any local software installation.
Organizations requiring extensive enterprise-level support and features not typically found in open-source projects or smaller teams.
Users with very limited local machine resources, as running local AI models can be demanding.

Bottom Line: Dyad.sh offers a compelling solution for building AI applications, especially for those who value privacy, control, and a local development environment. Its open-source nature, coupled with its no-code capabilities and support for local AI models, makes it a powerful and flexible tool. While the pricing for bundled AI credits in the paid plans might be a consideration for some, the free tier provides a fully capable platform to get started, making it well worth trying for anyone looking to own their AI app-building journey.

Last Reviewed: September 9, 2025

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This review is based on publicly available information and verified user feedback. Pricing and features may change - always check the official website for the most current information.